The present disclosure relates generally to the method and process of embedding a tissue sample in a tissue cassette.
A biopsy is the removal of a tissue sample to examine tissue for signs of cancer or other disorders. Tissue samples are obtained in a variety of ways using various medical procedures involving a variety of the tissue sample collection devices. For example, biopsies may be open (surgically removing tissue) or percutaneous (e.g. by fine needle aspiration, core needle biopsy or vacuum assisted biopsy).
After the tissue sample is collected, the tissue sample is analyzed at a lab (e.g. a pathology lab, biomedical lab, etc.) that is set up to perform the appropriate tests (such as histological analysis). Although this disclosure refers to a sample, it should be understood that the term sample can refer to one or more samples.
In order to properly process the tissue sample a series of steps may be performed including:                Grossing of the tissue sample by cutting the tissue sample to the proper size for analysis;        Fixing of the tissue sample to immobilize molecular components and/or prevent degradation;        Embedding the tissue sample in an embedding material, such as paraffin wax; and        
In conventional methods, the grossing step involves a lab technician cutting the tissue to the appropriate size for analysis and then placing the tissue in a tissue cassette. During the fixation stage, the cassettes may be exposed to a fixing agent or chemical (e.g., a solution of formaldehyde in water such as formalin) shortly after sample collection. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,156,814 discloses a cassette which can withstand tissue preparation procedures.
After the tissue sample has been processed, the medical professional, in conventional methods, removes the tissue sample from the individual cassette to perform the embedding step. Specifically, the medical professional carefully orients the tissue sample, based on, for example, the tissue type or cross-section required, into a mold containing an embedding material such as paraffin wax. Once the tissue is oriented properly in the mold, the molten material is cooled to fully embed the tissue sample and hold it in the proper orientation. The paraffin is used to hold the tissue sample in position while also providing a uniform consistency to further facilitate sectioning. While the term paraffin is used, this term is not limiting and describes an example of an embedding medium.
Then the tissue sample is removed and sliced into a plurality of thin sections (e.g., 2 to 25μ thick sections), often using a microtome, for further processing and inspection. Such sectioning of the tissue sample, and further processing such as staining, often helps a medical professional properly assess the tissue sample under a microscope (e.g. diagnose relationships between cells and other constituents of the tissue sample, or perform other assessments).
The current process requires human intervention at the grossing, embedding and loading steps. Such manual handling of the tissue sample can increase the likelihood of mis-identifying the tissue sample, cross contaminating the tissue samples, or losing part or the entire sample. Additionally, the numerous steps of manual manipulation can often increase the time that it takes to provide a proper assessment for each sample, once the tissue sample is collected.